KEY FINDINGS
What Our Community Is Telling Us
This report arrives at a hard moment: 35% of Bay Area Black households experienced a layoff in the past two years, and 39% of those laid off have not yet found work in their field. Against that backdrop, six findings define what our community needs, from housing to health care to how artificial intelligence is reshaping work and opportunity.
34%
HOUSING FIRST
Name housing affordability and homeownership as the single issue leaders should address, the top response by a wide margin.
Q2 · Top issue
53%
AI SKEPTICISM
Believe increased use of AI is more likely to harm their community than benefit it, even as 64% already use AI tools.
Q14 · Technology
79%
TECH BARRIERS
See barriers to entry or advancement for Black Americans in the tech industry, the highest of any field tested.
Q5 · Careers
79%
NEW PATHS TO GOOD JOBS
Say certificate and credential programs are a solid pathway to good jobs, now outpolling the four-year degree on value.
Q5 · Education
46%
HEALTH CARE COSTS
Find it difficult to access health care they can afford, and 44% say the same about affordable mental health care.
Q15 · Health Care
36%
CAPITAL ACCESS
Of aspiring and current entrepreneurs name access to capital as their biggest challenge, nearly double any other barrier.
Q10 · Entrepreneurship
We didn’t commission this research to sit on a shelf or the sidelines. Every finding in this report: on housing, on AI, on the barriers our community faces in tech and entrepreneurship, is an invitation to our partners, our neighbors, and our leaders:
BUILD WITH US.
Together, we can improve outcomes for the most vulnerable communities across the Bay Area.
Kenneth E. Maxey II
President & CEO, Urban League of Greater San Francisco Bay Area
THE FULL REPORT
Read the 2026 State of Black Bay Area Report
The complete findings, opportunity and resources, socio-economic conditions, technology, health care experiences, and demographics, with topline results for every question. Survey research conducted by Evitarus Public Opinion Research, fielded January–May 2026.
Urban League of Greater
San Francisco Bay Area
2026 State of the Black Bay Area
Final Weighted Results · 2026
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Event Videos
Highlights, keynotes, and community voices from the event.
WITH GRATITUDE
Our Supporters
The 2026 State of Black Bay Area Report was made possible through the generous support of our corporate and community partners, organizations that believe data-driven advocacy is the foundation of lasting change.
